6 minute read
History on display
Jon Lindstrand looks through a box of donated items that once belonged to Merlin Simonson, who served in the Navy during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay Of Pigs, while organizing items at his home in Kandiyohi on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. Macy Moore / West Central Tribune
Military collection honors veterans’ sacrifices by sharing the stories behind their artifacts
BY SHELBY LINDRUD| West Central Tribune
WILLMAR — The first few pieces of what would become the United States Military Historical Collection were given to founder Jon Lindstrand when he was only 5 years old by a neighbor who served in World War II. Those gifts helped foster a passion for military history and a drive to collect not only artifacts, but the stories behind them.
For 25 years, Lindstrand has exhibited thousands of pieces from the collection at an annual Veterans Day display in the Willmar Auditorium.
“It spiderwebbed from there, really growing into this large collection,” Lindstrand said. “Not only the stuff, but the stories and history that goes along with it.”
The USMHC has artifacts, uniforms, photos and equipment dating back to the Civil War and all the way into the present day. But it is the stories he is able to spotlight that Lindstrand is most proud of when it comes to putting the collection on public display.
“I really want people to see and know this part of history is real and they’re real people,” Lindstrand said. “These stories get lost if no one is talking or asking.”
This year’s display of the USMHC will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 9-11 in the Willmar City Auditorium. Admission is free. A special Veterans Day Observance program will be held at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11, and usually includes special music and speaker.
This year, to celebrate the anniversary, Lindstrand plans to bring out some special items from the collection — ones that take up quite a bit of space.
“We plan to get a few things out that really have never been out,” Lindstrand said.
The idea for the annual display came about thanks to a Kmart ad. Lindstrand, who worked for the Willmar Kmart back in 1998, said he picked up the store circular advertising the Veterans Day Sale. He felt the real meaning behind the holiday had gotten lost over the years and wanted to do something to remind people of the true reason for the day.
“That is not what this is about; it is not about sales or getting deals,” Lindstrand said. “It is about honoring and remembering those vets.”
The first public display of the USMHC was put up in the old school in Kandiyohi, sponsored by the Kandiyohi Men’s Club, now known as the Kandiyohi Community Club. The display moved to the Willmar Auditorium in 2002 and has been held there every year but one, when it was held in the old Kmart in the mall when the auditorium was under construction.
“Even the COVID year I still held it,” Lindstrand said.
Shortly after starting the display, Lindstrand established the official United States Military Historical Collection. He wanted the collection to have a name and one that didn’t include his own.
“It is not about Jon Lindstrand; it never has been,” Lindstrand said. “It’s been about those veterans and those stories.”
In addition to the main Veterans Day event, pieces of the collection have also been used for displays and events at nursing homes, schools and area historical societies. The USMHC can also help with military research through the stories that have been saved with the different artifacts.
One of the reasons why Lindstrand works so hard to get the display up each year is because he enjoys getting many of estimated 7,000 artifacts out of storage.
Because it is so large, many pieces are boxed away for most of the year.
In the early years of the collection, Lindstrand would contact veterans themselves, asking if they had any military pieces and mementos they would like to donate. As the collection has grown more popular, it is quite normal for veterans or their families to reach out to Lindstrand with artifacts and their stories.
“They want these stories preserved and cherished, remembered,” Lindstrand said.
Lindstrand said it is practically impossible to choose a favorite piece from the collection, or even an era of military history. He believes everything is important, whether it took place during an active conflict or during peacetime. All the stories are important and all the veterans that served should be remembered.
“They deserve recognition for what they’ve done, no matter where they served or when they served,” Lindstrand said.
The history and stories of more than 500 veterans are saved within the USMHC.
Many of those individuals played significant roles in some of this country’s biggest moments. It is making those historical connections with people who called Kandiyohi County and the surrounding home that make the collection and the display so special.
“It’s been a remarkable experience really, just to explore these key factors you think about in American history and realize so-and-so down the block was there,” said Lindstrand. “This guy served and did that. These connections to really iconic moments in history and they’re way closer to home than people think.”
Lindstrand said he plans to continue collecting and displaying the collection for as long as people still come out to see and learn from it.
“It is really about the stories, the pictures, those histories,” Lindstrand said. “Keeping that history and those memories alive for those guys.”
Conflicts such as the Civil War and World War I are already out of living memory. Those who remember or served during World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam are passing away.
Soon, collections such as the USMHC will be one of the places left that remember those who served during those times. The collection also plays an important role in preserving the history and the service of those military members from eras such as the Cold War, the Gulf War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At its core, the USMHC is a thankyou on display to all those men and women and the work they’ve done for the country.
“We owe them so much,” Lindstrand said. “I don’t know if there is enough thanks you can give.”
